A 33-YEAR-OLD woman who was drink-driving when she crashed her car with her eight-year-old son in the rear of the vehicle has been disqualified for 18 months.

Roisin McAnespy, of Armstrong Villas, Trillick, strenuously denied driving with excess alcohol in her breath at Monea Road, Moyglass and being in charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink/drugs on June 7, 2015.

During a contest at Fermanagh Magistrates Court on Monday, the defendant alleged that she had been returning from attending a Mass at The Graan when the crash had occurred and had not taken any drink.

She claimed that a dog had ran out in front of her car, causing her to swerve across the road. The defendant further claimed that, due to the shock of what had happened, she had taken drink before speaking to the police later in the day.

However, after hearing the evidence in the case, district judge, Nigel Broderick, observed that he did not accept the account given by the defendant and convicted her on both charges.

At the start of the contest, evidence had been heard from a couple who had been out for a drive with friends when they came across the defendant’s car, which was lying sideways in a hedge along the roadside.

They both observed a woman sitting in the driver’s seat and a young child in the rear. Both witnesses confirmed that they detected the smell of alcohol coming from the vehicle.

The man told the court that, during a conversation with the woman, she told him that she had been drinking and urged him not to contact the police.

He added that, after hearing that the woman had been drink-driving, he “launched into a lecture”.

She then went to a nearby house and telephoned her mother.

The couple subsequently left the scene with their friends and went to Enniskillen police station, where they reported the accident.

Another witness, who had been one of the police officers investigating the incident, told the court that, later that day, he had located the defendant’s car being towed away from the scene in a flatbed lorry.

He said that he had been able to track the defendant down after finding her wallet and driving licence inside the car.

Upon arriving at her house at around 6.30pm, the witness said the defendant smelt of alcohol and was slurring her speech when she answered the door.

He said that after she was arrested for driving with excess alcohol, McAnespy replied: “How can you do that? I hadn’t even been drinking.”

The witness said she then stated that she had been drinking in the house before his arrival.

Taking to the stand, McAnespy said that, on the day in question, she had skidded into a ditch after a dog ran in front of the car.

The defendant said that both she and her son had been in severe shock when the couple had arrived at the scene.

She insisted that she told the man that she had not been drinking and could not understand why she was being “attacked” by him verbally when it had been an accident.

During cross-examination, the defendant admitted that, prior to the accident, she had spent a period of time on an alcohol rehabilitation programme in Newry.

Summing up the case, district judge Mr Broderick observed that he was satisfied that the evidence given by the Crown witnesses was both “credible and reliable”.

Praising the “proper behaviour” of the couple who arrived at the scene, the judge commended them for their actions in bringing the matter to the police, making statements and also giving evidence in court.

Describing the defendant as someone who had struggled over a period of time with an addiction to alcohol, Mr Broderick said she had contested the matter in the face of “overwhelming evidence”.

Taking into account that the offence was aggravated by the presence of a young child in the back of the car, the judge imposed fines totalling £300, a £15 offender levy and an 18-month driving disqualification.

McAnespy will remain disqualified until retested.

Meanwhile, Mr Broderick certified the defendant as a suitable candidate for the drink driving course and she will be eligible for a reduction in her ban of up to 25 per cent upon successful completion.